This invention is directed to an engine air cleaner that includes an integrally formed resonator.
Air induction systems are used to conduct air to internal combustion engines. The use of air induction systems has resulted in the need for additional vehicle system components to compensate for certain undesirable side effects generated by the connection of air induction components to the vehicle engine. For example, engine noise is propagated back through the air induction components, which is undesirable. To address this problem, noise attenuation components, such as resonators, have been utilized to reduce these noises.
Another undesirable side effect introduced by air induction components, is that the air that is drawn into the air induction system includes dust, dirt, and other particulate contaminants. These contaminants can clog the engine resulting in poor performance. Air cleaners with filters are used to remove these contaminants from the airflow prior to the air being drawn into the engine.
The use of these additional components such as the resonator and air cleaner increases material and overall system costs. Further, the assembly of the additional components into the air induction system is time consuming and labor intensive. Thus, it is the object of the present invention to provide a simplified air cleaner and resonator assembly that reduces the overall number of required components, and which can be easily assembled, as well as overcoming the other above-mentioned deficiencies with the prior art.